A BOGUS asylum seeker who returned to the UK after being deported is to pay back £16,000 of benefits he fraudulently claimed.
Erzen Selmani, of Harlesden, appeared before Isleworth Crown Court following a joint investigation by Ealing and Brent councils.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work and must repay the money.
Selmani had previously pleaded guilty to six offences at a hearing in October.
It emerged that Selmani first came to the UK in 2003 from Kosovo and used a false name and date of birth to claim asylum.
He then used his fake asylum papers to claim benefit in Ealing and Brent and, while in the country, married a woman with a British passport.
Selmani was found out and deported but later managed to return to the UK legally using a spouse’s visa.
His benefit fraud came to light in 2007 when council officers received a claim from Selmani’s wife.
Anyone with information about a benefit cheat can anonymously call the 24-hour hotline on 0800 328 6453 (free from landlines).
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